Universal City welcomes first Walmart in 30 years

Updated 8:18 am, Thursday, July 28, 2016

Employees from the Walmart bakery cut slices of a large cake that awaited customers inside the newly opened Walmart on Kitty Hawk Road in Universal City on Wednesday.

Employees from the Walmart bakery cut slices of a large cake that awaited customers inside the newly opened Walmart on Kitty Hawk Road in Universal City on Wednesday.

Photo: Jeff Flinn/San Antonio Express News

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Customers flow into the newly opened Universal City Walmart Wednesday. The opening of the 187,000 square-foot store completed years of planning and brought Walmart back to the city after a 31-year absence.

Customers flow into the newly opened Universal City Walmart Wednesday. The opening of the 187,000 square-foot store completed years of planning and brought Walmart back to the city after a 31-year absence.

Photo: Jeff Flinn/San Antonio Express News

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Several of the 250 Walmart associates cheer as speakers encourage them to take their stations inside the new Universal City store, which opened to the public Wednesday.

Several of the 250 Walmart associates cheer as speakers encourage them to take their stations inside the new Universal City store, which opened to the public Wednesday.

Photo: Jeff Flinn/San Antonio Express News

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From restaurants and bars to retail and gyms, click through the gallery to see which businesses are entering or expanding in San Antonio.

From restaurants and bars to retail and gyms, click through the gallery to see which businesses are entering or expanding in San Antonio.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop Where: at the Forum Shopping Center on the city’s North East sideExpected opening: A $283,000 renovation on an existing tenant space is expected to wrap up by December

Potbelly Sandwich ShopWhere: at the Forum Shopping Center on the city’s North East sideExpected opening: A $283,000 renovation on an existing tenant space is expected to wrap up by December

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Bush's ChickenWhere: at the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hausman Road on the city’s North West side, near the University of Texas at San Antonio main campusExpected opening: Construction will cost an estimated $400,000 and last from September to January. less

Bush's ChickenWhere: at the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hausman Road on the city’s North West side, near the University of Texas at San Antonio main campusExpected opening: Construction will cost an ... more

Photo: Chaney Mitchell

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Taco BellWhere: 722 Seguin St. on the city’s East Side and another at Potranco Road on the city’s far West sideExpected opening: January 2017

Taco BellWhere: 722 Seguin St. on the city’s East Side and another at Potranco Road on the city’s far West sideExpected opening: January 2017

Chick-fil-AWhere: on the North Side at 10503 NW Military HighwayExpected opening: Unknown

Chick-fil-AWhere: on the North Side at 10503 NW Military HighwayExpected opening: Unknown

Photo: J. Reed Via Flickr, Wikimedia Commons

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Universal City welcomes first Walmart in 30 years

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For the first time in more than 30 years, a Walmart in Universal City threw open its doors to customers ready to spend their money inside.

A large 7:30 a.m. crowd stood by Wednesday as hundreds of Walmart associates participated in one final Walmart cheer in front of the newly opened 187,000 square-foot facility on Kitty Hawk Road. Store manager Tamia Brown gave one final pep talk to her employees before they took up their posts inside the store, waiting for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting that opened the doors for business.

David Drastata, Walmart market manager, said the morning ceremony capped a years-long study of demographics and customer trends. He said this Kitty Hawk location “has been on our radar for many years. Things worked out well many years back, we were able to acquire this (property), and Universal City has just been phenomenal to work with.”

Walmart pulled out of its previous Universal City location at -- Pat Booker Road and Loop 1604, a facility now occupied by tenants Mr. Gatti’s and Gold’s Gym, among others -- when the chain began building its “supercenter” stores.

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“Years and years ago, we had a store in Universal City,” Drastata said. “At that time … we began transitioning to the supercenter model. The growth hadn’t really started here to support building one of these 200,000 sq.-ft. stores. That’s why we ended up in that location up on Nacogdoches.”

Walmart opened that Nacogdoches store Nov. 29, 1984 – the same day it closed the Universal City location.

“But I will say, they are ready for us now, and we couldn’t be more excited about being here,” he added.

Universal City Mayor John Williams was among the speakers who addressed the crowd from a stage set up in front of the store. He said the near-300 employees “bring so much to the area, not just to Universal City, but the entire economy of the Metrocom.”

Williams alluded to the franchise’s practice of training and promoting from within when stores open and openings occur.

“I know the policy of Walmart is to work with their people from within, so some of the future leaders of Walmart are right directly in front of us right now,” Williams said.

The store, at 510 Kitty Hawk Road, is open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week and features a free store pick-up ordering process. The store also features a store mobile app, which allows customers to refill prescriptions, create shopping lists, search for items in the store and check-out, using an app on their smartphones.